The “Iron” browser is based on the “Google Chromium” source code, but “Iron” does not send any user specific data to Google anymore and it does not contain a unique user ID. Iron is a product of “SRWare” – a german software company. In Iron the following Google Chrome features have been deactivated:

no alternative error messages, when having entered a wrong URL

no sending of collected data to Google, if Iron has crashed

no unwanted Google updater

Iron is available for Microsoft Windows only. Download Iron here (german page!). Installing in CrossOver Mac sadly does not work out of the box…

[Update] Sep 26th, 2008 The language Thing

Although our screenshot shows Iron with german interface, it turns to english, when it’s gotten installed to an english Windows version.

[Update] Sep 27th, 2008 The Next Browser Wars (internal link)

You may find some background information about the Browser Wars in one of our recent articles here.

[…] (who probably have something to hide), a German security company created Iron. Quoted from the Incomplete News Project: The “Iron” browser is based on the “Google Chromium” source code, but “Iron” does not […]

Personally I’m still sticking with Firefox, mainly because of all it’s addons. I like what I’ve seen of Google Chrome, and will probably give it another go once it is out of beta (All Google software comes out of beta eventually, doesn’t it? :P)

We TRUST Google implicity.
Google has been very good to us, and very goodfor us.
I intent to install the new Google Chrome Browser, and try it.
I will not lose any sleep at all.
I look at Google as my friend, certainly not my enemy.

Google is weather an enemy nor a friend. Google is simply a profit making company or as others say: the world’s largest ad-broker. Like other profit making companies Google got strategies to make us click their ads. Chrome is one of these strategies.

Anyway the Chromium technology contains lots of very interesting and nice features that the world has not seen before (like tabs as separated processes). This is very good news. Google has done a very good job here. Also from what we’ve read: the code design seems to be kinda good and tight.

But on the other hand these nice features come bundled with features that some millions of people are afraid off (like collecting and sending personal data to Google servers).

So to separate the wanted from the unwanted features SRWare Iron just fills the gap and removes or disables those unwanted features. Once Chrome contains configuration to manually disable these features SRWare Iron will be obsolete.

We feel this is a rather intelligent approach to saving the advances Google’s Chromium technology has. Imho Google has anticipated something like that. Otherwise they would not have released the Chromium technology as open source.

SRWare is a german company known for their reputation in the field of security and security analysis. I think we can trust them.

Anyway if you like the original Google Chrome. Don’t bother to install it. It is a free world, it’s a good technology. We are definitely not dictating to this or that browser. The choice is up to you.

They’ve developed a so called privacy oriented browser that played on the paranoia of the general public for ad revenue as their prerogative all along.

Did you know what the developer was quoted as saying? Google is Evil and the German people don’t like Google, well cool I’m not bothered with that, that’s all cool, I don’t personally trust Google either.

Then what else do they now do, run Google Adsense on their site and support running Google banners on their startpage site also.

Look, you call Google evil then you are seen supporting Google, what is that telling us? I’ll tell you, one big mixed bag of messages that should make you think real hard.

So can this developer really be trusted and should we really support SRWare Iron?

Well one thing is certain, until this developer starts flying right and shows us some of these true colors of mistrust towards Google, then it’s looking really fishy and this is all the real truth around here about this SRWARE Iron! :(

[…] or browsing habits. The srware.net site is in german but the folks at Incomplete News Project have a translation up. So, in short, Iron is Google Chrome without all the snooping and that should please a lot of […]